The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has condemned the killing of six Palestinian journalists in a reported Israeli drone strike on Sunday.
In a statement released on Tuesday, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay denounced the incident, naming the victims as Anas Al-Sharif, Mohammed Qreiqeh, Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, Moamen Aliwa, and Mohammed Al-Khaldi. She urged a “thorough and transparent investigation” into the attack.
According to reports, five of the victims were staff members of Qatar-based broadcaster Al Jazeera. Al-Sharif and Qreiqeh served as on-air correspondents, while Zaher, Noufal, and Aliwa worked as camera operators. Al-Khaldi was a freelance photojournalist.
The journalists were allegedly killed when Israeli forces struck a tent used by media workers near the entrance of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) claimed that 28-year-old Al-Sharif was linked to Hamas — an accusation Al Jazeera strongly rejected, calling the strike “a deliberate assassination” and “a blatant attack on press freedom.”
Earlier, on July 31, a UN Human Rights Council-appointed expert on freedom of expression criticized repeated threats and “unfounded accusations” made by an Israeli military spokesperson against Al-Sharif, warning that such statements endangered his life and sought to silence his reporting from Gaza.
Two UN Special Rapporteurs also condemned the killings, describing them as an attempt to suppress coverage of what they referred to as “an ongoing genocide and starvation campaign” in Gaza. In a joint statement, they said, “It is outrageous that the Israeli army first sought to discredit Anas Al-Sharif by branding him as Hamas, only to later kill him and his colleagues for telling the truth to the world.”
The experts called for immediate investigations and full access for international journalists — something Israel currently denies. They stressed that independent UN experts, including rapporteurs, are appointed by the Human Rights Council, operate in their personal capacity, and receive no financial compensation for their work.
Azoulay reiterated that attacking journalists in conflict zones is a violation of international law and urged respect for UN Security Council Resolution 2222 (2015), which mandates the protection of journalists and media professionals during armed conflicts.
According to UNESCO, at least 62 journalists and media workers have been killed in Palestine since October 2023 while covering events. The figure excludes deaths unrelated to professional duties. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) places the toll at 242 Palestinian journalists killed in the same period.